Candy without palm oil

At Halloween, candy companies sell big bags with a mix of different candies. When you buy a bag with just one type of candy, it’s easier to avoid palm oil.

Read labels

Manufacturers change their labeling regularly. This list of candy without palm oil is intended to be a starting point.

We obtained this ingredient and product information by researching online, in stores, and emailing companies.

We compared ingredients against a list of hundreds of names for palm oil ingredients from the International Palm Oil Free Certification Accreditation Programme. (Most don’t include “palm” in the ingredients.)

We continue to update this list with more information. You can make a big difference when you support orangutan-friendly palm oil free candy and treats.

Also, in recent months, Peanut M&M’s in stores now list palm oil despite what Mars, Inc. shows on their website as of this writing. Be sure to read all labels in case they start to change their other M&M’s flavors.

Some newer flavors now include Tocopherols, which are typically made from palm oil.

Please note, Mars Wrigley Confectionery does not make claims these M&M’s are palm oil free.

Chocolate without palm oil

It’s great The Hershey Company, Mars, Inc., and Nestle still make some palm oil free chocolate.

Fair Trade Chocolate without palm oil

There are other chocolate manufacturers — usually Fair Trade Certified Chocolate — who make their candy without palm oil as well; however, they may not be as practical to hand out for trick or treating.

We will be adding more to this article to include Fair Trade Certified Chocolate.

Some brands to consider — that as of now we believe to be palm oil free — but haven’t thoroughly researched yet — are:

If a company uses coconut oil or other higher quality oils in some of their products, there is a greater likelihood they aren’t using palm oil. Palm oil is a cheap oil, and it’s very versatile; that’s why companies use it.

The FDA’s ban on trans fats went into effect in July 2018; candy companies have been using palm oil as a replacement.

Look for less ingredients.

When you have a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup that’s then stuffed with Reese’s Pieces, you have even more ingredients to be concerned with.

With simple candies, you have a better chance of them being palm oil free.

Learn common names for palm oil derivatives in candy.

In addition to avoiding candy with the word “palm” in it, take it a step further.

Don’t buy candy with Mono- and Diglycerides.

Then, you can avoid any candy with Tocopherols.

If you can take one more step, work to avoid Glycerin on candy labels.

Print out this 2018 list of palm oil free candy.

Palm oil ingredients in candy

Remember, just because it doesn’t say palm oil, palm kernel oil, or hydrogenated palm oil, it may still contain it.

There are many ways candy manufacturers use palm oil in candy. These ingredients are usually derived from palm oil.

In chocolate-type candy, these may appear as:

Glycerin, glycerine

Hydrogenated palm kernel oil

Monoglycerides

Mono- and diglycerides

Mixed tocopherols

Tocopherols

In non-chocolate candy, these ingredients may be/are usually derived from palm oil:

Calcium Stearate

Citric Acid – often but not always

Glycerin, Glycerine

Glycerol

Magnesium Stearate

Medium Chain Triglycerides

Mixed Tocopherols

Mono- and Diglycerides

Monostearate Glycerol

Propylene Glycol

Stearic Acid

Tocopherols

Vitamin A Palmitate

Finding ingredients online

The Hershey Company is a company who very clearly and transparently lists all of their ingredients online. It’s very easy to find the ingredients for all of their candy products.

Some of the other candy manufacturers list their ingredients but you really have to search for the information. Most of it is just colorful advertising. Some candy companies’ websites don’t have any information about their ingredients.

The Hershey’s site is by far the most transparent system of any of these candy companies, including Mars, Inc., Nestle, Wrigley, Wonka, Ferrara Pan, Goetze, Spangler, Mondelez International, Tootsie Roll Industries, and the others.

Additionally, we researched in stores.

We also emailed the companies to confirm their candy is palm oil free.

We are waiting for confirmation on some, especially as to where the “source” of their ingredients come from.

Meaning, it may say “citric acid” on the package but was that citric acid sourced from palm oil? (We have confirmed it is the red whips, licorice type candies.)

International Palm Oil Free Certification Accreditation Programme

U.S. candy companies can apply to have their products assessed for Palm Oil Free certification.

We used their list — which includes hundreds of palm oil derivatives — to research ingredients in candy.

Palm oil free Halloween candy

We will continue to update this list to include palm oil free candy, chocolate and treats.

Our intention was to compile an updated list of Halloween candy without palm oil. We wanted it to be easy for consumers to find in stores so we focused on popular candies.

While there are many specialty candy companies who do make palm oil free candy, it’s not always practical to buy them, especially when you want to buy in bulk for lots of trick or treaters.

Also, while it’s tempting to buy a big bag with a variety of candies, it’s better to buy individual bags of each candy. It’s rare you will find a mix of candy without palm oil all in one bag.

Note, many manufacturers change ingredients for their Halloween and holiday candy. They may offer different sizes, packaging and flavors.

Disclaimer: We obtained this ingredient and product information from researching online and in stores. Please note, manufacturers change their labeling regularly. We have compiled this information for reference purposes only. Use this list as a starting point as you read labels and do your own due diligence.

This is not meant to be medical advice. As the consumer, please read ingredient labels for each product you plan to purchase. Sometimes even on the same shelf, for the same exact-looking product, the ingredients vary. (This is especially the case for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Some contain palm oil and some do not.)

Candies with palm oil

While this site strives to focus on and highlight products and candy without palm oil, we want you to know the candies we researched to show you how prevalent palm oil is popular candy brands.

We researched each of these candies and treats. If they are appear below it is because their labels list “palm oil,” “palm kernel oil,” “hydrogenated palm kernel oil,” or due to their ingredients, they contain what appear to be palm oil derivatives.

We emailed companies to confirm and will continue to update as they get back with us.

Many companies wrote to say they use sustainable palm oil and that they are members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). However, we choose candy without any palm oil.

Remember, with so many orangutan-friendly candies to choose from (above) you can easily choose those that don’t contain palm oil.

List of Halloween treats and candies with palm oil

Read labels and choose palm oil free.

Airheads – You have to read the label on each package and variety; most contain palm oil, glycerol, etc.

Almond Joy

Baby Ruth

Bit-O-Honey

BRACH’S:

Mellowcreme Autumn Mix

Harvest Corn

Football Candy Corn

Bull’s Eyes (all varieties)

Butterfinger

Candy bracelets

Caramel Apple Pops (Tootsie)

Charms Blow Pops (all flavors)

Charleston Chew (all flavors)

5th Avenue

Fruit Roll-Ups

Gobstopper

Haribo Gold-Bears

List of more candies with palm oil

Heath

Hershey:

Candy Corn Bar

Cookie Layer Crunch Bar

Cookies ‘n’ Cream Bar

Hershey Gold

Kisses:

Candy Cane

Cherry Cordial

Cookies & Creme

Hugs

Mint Truffle

Milk Chocolate Caramels

Hershey’s Nuggets Milk Chocolate with Toffee & Almond

Hershey’s Miniatures Assortment

A note about Hershey Miniatures: This is a mixed bag of their mini candy bars. It will include some combination of Special Dark, Milk Chocolate, Mr. Goodbar, Krackel. The palm oil derivative usually found in this product is monoglycerides and/or tocopherols.

Red Vines – They use much less palm oil than Twizzler but there is a minute amount in their citric acid which is derived from palm oil.

Reese’s:

Fast Break

Peanut Butter Cups: Miniatures, Halloween versions, etc.

Nutrageous

A note about Reese’s Peanut Butter candies: There are so many different versions and flavors, with different ingredients and suppliers.

They usually list palm oil, palm kernel oil, etc. so read the label in advance. If it says Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil and doesn’t cite the source, there may be palm oil in it, according to what it says on their website.

Twizzler (all, including these); Red Vines is a superior choice to Twizzler products as they use less palm oil.

Bites

Filled Twists

Nibs Black Licorice

Pull ‘n’ Peel

Regular

Utz Halloween Pretzel Treats – Bat & Pumpkin shapes; 40 pack

Welch’s Fruit Snacks Mixed Fruit

Whatchamacallit

Whoppers

Zagnut

Zoos support orangutan-friendly candy

Many zoos have a Halloween event — Zoo Boo, Boo at the Zoo, Boo Zoo, etc. — in which guests are encouraged to wear costumes and trick or treat throughout Halloween-themed areas. These are fun, family-friendly events.

Oftentimes zoos publish lists of orangutan-friendly candy in order to create awareness. However, typically these lists are outdated. Additionally, many of them focus on candies that use sustainable palm oil.

We want to highlight and showcase the candy companies and brands who have found ways to make candy without ANY palm oil. These are the companies we want to promote and tell consumers about.

Why choose candy without palm oil

In many areas in our world, and especially in Sumatra and Borneo, palm oil plantations are devastating tropical rain forests. Native people as well as populations of wildlife, including orangutans, Sumatran tigers, and more are affected.

We have compiled this information for reference purposes only. This list is meant to be a starting point and to help you find palm oil free Halloween candy and candy throughout the year. We also want to inform you about how prevalent palm oil is in the candy industry.